Eddie Lacy’s coaches past and present agree that the former Alabama running back plays better at a lighter weight. As if improving his game isn’t motivation enough, the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly giving Lacy financial incentives for reaching various weight milestones.

The former Crimson Tide ball-carrier reportedly weighed 267 pounds at one of his recent team visits during the free-agency process. If he is down to 255 pounds by May, he will be paid $55,000 in the first of seven opportunities. He would earn another $55,000 if he’s down to 250 pounds in June and August. He can also earn monthly bonuses September-December as long as he weighs 245 pounds. If he meets all the weight requirements, that $385,000 collected in incentives.

Lacy was officially listed at 234 pounds on the Green Bay Packers’ roster last season, but comments by coach Mike McCarthy indicate that was not an accurate listing.

“Eddie Lacy, he’s got a lot of work to do. I think I’m stating the obvious,” McCarthy said in his season-ending press conference. “His offseason last year was not good enough, and he never recovered from it. I had a chance to talk to Eddie today, and that was pretty much the majority of our whole conversation. He has to get it done because he cannot play at the weight that he played at this year.”

Lacy’s new coach, Pete Carroll, thinks the ball-carrier is most effective in the 240-pound range, which explains the financial incentives to stay at 245 or under.

“In those 40s, he’s really dangerous,” Carroll said. “We have a real (weight) target for him. We’ll be on it on a regular basis, and we’ll keep him in great shape.”

Seattle signed Lacy to a one-year deal with a base salary of $1.365 million and a $1.5 million signing bonus. The deal also includes incentives tied to being on the active roster.

A University of Florida alumnus, Andrew joined SDS in 2015 to cover the Gators and the rest of the SEC. Follow him on Twitter @ByAndrewOlson.